THE NEW HAMPSHIRE BOYS

Northern New Hampshire Southern New Hampshire

The state of New Hampshire has produced many of the stars in Vermont racing. Although the Granite state has always had its own tracks, a certain number of New Hampshire drivers - all the way from Pappy Forsythe to Stub Fadden - have shown a preference to race west of the New Hampshire border in tracks such as Pico, Stateline, Fairmont, Northeastern, Thunder Road, Catamount, Devil's Bowl, and Bear Ridge.

SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE
[ Cecil Bosworth and Ted Brown still to come ]

Buddy Bardwell

Buddy Bardwell, of Keene, New Hampshire raced as much in Vermont as he did in New Hampshire. He drove his first car in 1951. He remembers running Pico Raceway, in Rutland, and Stateline Speedway in Bennington in those days. Bardwell was one of the most traveled race car drivers of any era. He still is - trailering his #13 all around the Northeast to race in vintage race car exhibition races.

Bardwell raced at Thunder Road on a fairly regular basis around the very beginning of the 1960's before appearing at Fairmont Speedway and Otter Creek Speedway a couple of years later. Bardwell won the first feature at C.J. Richards' Fairmont Speedway in 1963 with a number 13 Ford not yet sporting his trademark bullhorns.

CLICK HERE to go to Buddy's own page.

Bardwell Album Photo -

The first Bardwell car - which probably ran Pico and Stateline, to name a few.

13_Bardwell_Ford_Color.jpg (118154 bytes)

Photo Courtesy of James Howard -

A pre-Hudson Bardwell car - most likely at Cheshire Fairgrounds in Keene

Bill Ladabouche Photo -

The car that won the first race at Fairmont. This shot is at Otter Creek Speedway. Below, are two shots of victory lane that day - Memorial Day, 1962.

Bob Frazier Photos -

Bill Ladabouche Photos -

The famous Bardwell bullhorns car - being shown in Barre, Vermont and at Swanzey, NH

Bob Frazier Photo -
Bardwell tears through Turn 4
with Howard Stevens

Bob Frazier Photo -
Bardwell with the Hudson, maybe
pre-bullhorns

Sonny Rabideau

Sonny Rabideau, a Vermonter, actually raced more in New Hampshire than Vermont. He drove a car for Brattleboro car owner Frank "Stroker" Smith. The car was lower and more powerful than most of the rest of the field. He was awarded the first Vermont State Championship that C.J. Richards ever held, around 1964.

Rabideau and the Smith 311 were such a potent combination that, after Richards started allowing overhead valve V-8's, it was still the 311 that usually came out on top. When Smith got out of racing, Rabideau drove for a few owners, without much success.

Ken Paulsen Photo -

The restored Stroker Smith car. Terry Marks did a great job on it.

Bill Ladabouche Photo -

Terry Marks walks over to his restored 311 at the Swanzey show.

Bill Ladabouche Photo -

Sonny Rabideau poses with is car at the Swanzey show.

Bill Ladabouche Photo -

Winning the 1964 Vermont State Championship

Sonny Rabideau, of Brattleboro, VT. actually raced more in New Hampshire than Vermont. He drove a car for Claremont, NH car owner Frank "Stroker" Smith.

Rutland Herald Photo -

Sonny Rabideau [right] starts to move on [from left - Little Joe D'Avignon, Elmer Erickson, and Howard Stevens at the Rutland Fairgrounds around 1963.

Terry Marks Photo -

A car he drove at Cheshire & West Brattleboro

Terry Marks Photo -

Sonny Rabideau seen lining up at the old West Brattleboro Speedway a few places ahead of Buddy Bardwell.

Terry Marks Photo -

Rabideau with one of the many Leo Vallaincourt cars he drove

Cavalcade of Racing Photo -

Rabideau, with the recently - purchased car that had been driven by Howard Stevens at Fairmont.

Photo Courtesy of Ed Fabian -

Rabideau gets the checkers from Fairmont's first starter, Danny Rumpf

Photo Courtesy of Ed Fabian -

I think this is Rabideau
at work at Angell's
Automotive, in Brattleboro

Courtesy of R.A. Silvia Collection
and Three Wide Site

Rabideau, with the familiar
Stroker Smith car.

NEAR Bio from Hall of Fame Program

Click on this to see the NEAR bio on Sonny

Art Cody

Bob Frazier Photo -

Art Cody, Keene, NH taking a feature win at Fairmont from flagger Danny Rumpf. Cody drove the Henry Merrill - owned 33.

Ken Paulsen Photo -

The restored Henry Merrill car.

Bill Ladabouche Photo -

Art Cody taking a quick trip up the hill at Vergennes,
Vt.'s Otter Creek Speedway. Looking on in the white
shirt is future CVRA star Russ Shaw.

Roy "Pappy" Forsythe

Photo Courtesy of Cho Lee

Forsythe and George Barber [right] receive trophies - from the mayor of Barre.

Bill Ladabouche Photo -

The restored George Barber 46 at the Shelburne Museum show in 2004

Forsythe_Trophies_Janoski.JPG (356837 bytes)

Photo by Jack Teehan, Keene Sentinel

Forsythe trophies Connecticut driver George Janoski

Ted Brown

Photo Courtesy of C.J. Richards

By the time Devil's Bowl had opened, Ted had years of racing under his belt in the #92 and other cars.

Photo Source Unknown-

Thus sedan was actually later in his career. He had wrecked one at Fairmont many years before.

Photo by Jack Teehan, Keene Sentinel

Ted with his Claremont "jalopy", probably also used at Cheshire Fairgrounds.

Bill Ladabouche Photo -

The familiar Lash Texaco,
at Fairmont around 1963.

Bill Ladabouche Photo -

After races at Otter Creek in
1962.

Photo Source Unknown-

The Curt Dragon coupe,
driven by Ted, Art Johnson,
Leo Howland, and others.

B.Ladabouche Photo

The Dragon car in the pits
at Fairmont around 1965.

Cavalcade of Racing Photo

The 92 team. The man in the middle is Richard Castine. Anyone help with the other guy's name ?

Others in the South

Photo Courtesy of Neal Davis

The Roger Canfield 8NH.

An early version, with Don Lawlor as driver.

Photo by Bill Ladabouche
Leo Howland,
Keene, NH

Photo by Bill Ladabouche

Walt Brown, Jr.

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NORTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE

The Ingerson Brothers

Photo from Cavalcade of Racing The Boys Pose Together	Photo - Cavalcade of Racing The brothers finish under a blanket at Thunder Road. 51 - Russ, 58 - Doug, and 47 - Lee	Photo - Cavalcade of Racing Leland, the eldest
Photo - Courtesy of Cho Lee Russ, in the coupe days.	Photo from Rich Palmer Doug, with an early Flying Tiger	Photo Courtesy of Cho Lee Lee, in the the #47 George Barber coupe - beside Pappy Forsythe
Photo from Rich Palmer Russ with his most famous ride - the Pelletier/Falzarano #51 This was the '57 Chevy version	Photo Courtesy of Cho Lee The brothers share a laugh during the coupe era.	Courtesy of Rich Palmer Lee's last ride would be the Tom Tiller Dodge, seen here. Ingerson would drive the #7 briefly.
Photo - Bill Ladabouche Russ's legendary Chevelle	Photo Courtesy of Jim Watson Russell's last late model ride - the Blake & Loso Chevelle	Photo Courtesy of Andy Boright The former George Horn Blake & Loso Chevelle is toasted by Russ at Thunder Road.